Dynamic configuration of aperiodic sounding reference signal offsets in cellular communication systems

Abstract

The invention relates to dynamic configuration of aperiodic sounding reference signal offsets in cellular communication systems. A cellular base station (BS) determines an aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger offset configuration specifying an offset between a user equipment (UE) receiving an aperiodic SRS trigger and the UE transmitting the SRS. The cellular base station may determine that the SRS trigger offset should be adjusted. In response, the cellular base station may transmit signaling to the UE specifying a new value for the aperiodic SRS trigger offset. The new SRS trigger offset value may be based in part on a minimum timing offset of the UE, and may be included in a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) or downlink control information (DCI). In addition, the new trigger offset value may be applicable to multiple component carriers or bandwidth portions. The cellular base station may also determine a new trigger offset value due to collisions with respect to AP-SRS transmissions.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of a Chinese invention patent application that entered the Chinese national phase of a PCT application with an international filing date of October 12, 2020, national application number 202080106111.4, and invention title "Dynamic Configuration of Non-Periodic Detection Reference Signal Offset in Cellular Communication Systems". Technical Field

[0002] This invention relates to wireless communication, and more particularly to apparatus, systems, and methods for dynamically configuring an aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) offset for use by a user equipment (UE) when generating an aperiodic SRS signal. Background Technology

[0003] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. In recent years, wireless devices such as smartphones and tablets have become increasingly sophisticated. In addition to supporting phone calls, many mobile devices now offer access to the internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS), and can operate complex applications that utilize these functions.

[0004] Long Term Evolution (LTE) is currently the technology of choice for most wireless network operators worldwide, providing mobile broadband data and high-speed internet access to their user base. LTE was first proposed in 2004 and first standardized in 2008. Since then, with the exponential growth in the use of wireless communication systems, the demand for wireless network operators has increased to support higher capacity for a higher density of mobile broadband users. Therefore, research into new radio access technologies began in 2015, and in 2017, the first version of 5G New Radio (5G NR) was standardized.

[0005] 5G-NR (also known as NR for short) offers higher capacity for higher density mobile broadband users compared to LTE, while also supporting ultra-reliable and massive machine-type communication between devices, as well as lower latency and / or lower battery consumption. Furthermore, NR allows for more flexible UE scheduling compared to current LTE. Therefore, efforts are underway to leverage potentially higher throughput at higher frequencies in the ongoing development of 5G NR.

[0006] One aspect of current cellular communication operations is that the UE provides a sounding reference signal (SRS) to the base station so that the base station can assess the quality of the uplink channel. Improvements in this field are desired. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The implementation scheme relates to wireless communication, and more specifically to apparatus, systems, and methods for dynamically configuring an aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) offset for use by a user equipment (UE) when generating an aperiodic SRS signal.

[0008] Some implementations involve a cellular base station (BS) including multiple antennas, radio components operatively coupled to the multiple antennas, and a processor operatively coupled to the radio components. The cellular base station can be configured to determine the aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger offset configuration of the user equipment (UE) during or after establishing a radio resource connection (RRC). This aperiodic SRS trigger offset configuration specifies the offset between the UE receiving an aperiodic SRS trigger and the UE transmitting the SRS in response to the aperiodic SRS trigger.

[0009] Furthermore, after establishing the RRC connection with the UE, the cellular base station can be further configured to determine that the SRS trigger offset should be adjusted. In response to this determination, the cellular base station can dynamically transmit signaling to the UE specifying a new value for the aperiodic SRS trigger offset. This new value for the aperiodic SRS trigger offset can be included in the Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) or in the Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0010] The new aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger offset configuration value determined by the base station may be based at least in part on the minimum timing offset provided by the UE. Furthermore, this new value of the aperiodic SRS trigger offset configuration may be applied to multiple component carriers or bandwidth portions of the UE.

[0011] The embodiments described herein also relate to a memory medium capable of dynamically configuring an aperiodic probe reference signal (SRS) offset for use by a user equipment (UE) when generating an aperiodic SRS signal.

[0012] The embodiments described herein also relate to user equipment (UE) capable of receiving and processing dynamically configured aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) offsets as described above, and then generating new aperiodic SRS signals in response to the aperiodic SRS offsets.

[0013] The techniques described herein can be implemented in and / or used with a variety of different types of devices, including but not limited to any one of the following computing devices: unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned controllers (UACs), UTM servers, base stations, access points, cellular phones, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, portable media players, and various other computing devices.

[0014] The present invention is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subjects described in this document. Therefore, it should be understood that the above features are merely illustrative and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or substance of the subjects described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subjects described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Attached Figure Description

[0015] A better understanding of the subject matter can be obtained by considering the following detailed description of the various embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0016] Figure 1A An exemplary wireless communication system according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0017] Figure 1B Examples of base stations (BS) and access points communicating with user equipment (UE) devices according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0018] Figure 2 An exemplary block diagram of a BS according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0019] Figure 3 An exemplary block diagram of a UE according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0020] Figure 4 An exemplary block diagram of a cellular communication circuit according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0021] Figure 5 An example of a baseband processor architecture for a UE according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0022] Figure 6 An exemplary flowchart is shown, according to some implementation schemes, for dynamically configuring AP-SRS trigger offset from the perspective of a base station.

[0023] Figure 7 An exemplary flowchart for dynamically configuring AP-SRS trigger offset from the UE's perspective is shown according to some implementation schemes.

[0024] Figure 8 An example of a Media Access Center (MAC) Control Element (CE) subheader according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0025] Figure 9 An example of timing offset for UE capability reporting for AP-SRS according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0026] Figure 10An example of slot offset between downlink control information (DCI) and aperiodic (AP) probe reference signal (SRS) is shown according to some implementation schemes.

[0027] Figure 11 Examples are shown according to some implementation schemes when the UE is configured for SRS repeat or slot binding.

[0028] Figure 12 Examples are shown of how a base station, according to some implementations, may allow the DCI to change the slot offset based on possible slot offsets configured or activated from the RRC or MAC-CE.

[0029] Figure 13 An example of a flexible AP-SRS trigger offset is shown according to some implementation schemes.

[0030] Figure 14 An example of partial elimination of transmissions from the UE according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0031] While the features described herein may be subject to various modifications and alternatives, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and their detailed description are not intended to limit this document to the specific forms disclosed, but rather are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the substance and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. Detailed Implementation

[0032] acronym

[0033] Various acronyms are used throughout this disclosure. The definitions of the most prominent acronyms that may appear throughout this disclosure are as follows:

[0034] • 3GPP: Third Generation Partnership Project

[0035] •UE: User Equipment

[0036] •RF: Radio Frequency

[0037] •BS: Base Station

[0038] •DL: Downlink

[0039] •UL: Uplink

[0040] •LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0041] •NR: New Radio

[0042] •5GS: 5G system

[0043] • 5GMM: 5GS Mobility Management

[0044] •5GC / 5GCN: 5G Core Network

[0045] •SRS: Detection Reference Signal

[0046] •AP-SRS: Non-periodic probe reference signal

[0047] •IE: Information Elements

[0048] •CE: Control Element

[0049] •MAC: Media Access Control

[0050] •SSB: Synchronization Signal Block

[0051] •CSI-RS: Channel State Information Reference Signal

[0052] •PDCCH: Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0053] •PDSCH: Physical Downlink Shared Channel

[0054] •RRC: Radio Resource Control

[0055] •RRM: Radio Resource Management

[0056] •CORESET: Control Resource Set

[0057] •TCI: Transport Configuration Indicator

[0058] •DCI: Downlink Control Information

[0059] •AP: Non-periodic

[0060] •SRS: Detection Reference Signal

[0061] •TRS: Tracking Reference Signal

[0062] •NW: Network

[0063] the term

[0064] The following is a glossary of terms used in this disclosure:

[0065] Memory media—any device of any type of nontransitory memory device or storage device. The term "memory media" is intended to include mounting media such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or magnetic tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory such as flash memory, magnetic media, e.g., hard disk drives or optical storage devices; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. Memory media may also include other types of nontransitory memory or combinations thereof. Furthermore, memory media may reside in a first computer system executing a program, or may reside in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In the latter case, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "memory media" may include two or more memory media that may reside in different locations on different computer systems, for example, connected via a network. Memory media may store program instructions (e.g., representing a computer program) that can be executed by one or more processors.

[0066] Carrier medium—the memory medium as described above, and physical transmission medium, such as buses, networks, and / or other physical transmission media for transmitting signals (such as electrical signals, electromagnetic signals, or digital signals).

[0067] Programmable hardware elements encompass a variety of hardware devices that include multiple programmable functional blocks connected via programmable interconnects. Examples include FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPOAs (Field-Programmable Object Arrays), and CPLDs (Complex PLDs). Programmable functional blocks can vary from fine-grained (combinatorial logic units or lookup tables) to coarse-grained (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). Programmable hardware elements may also be referred to as "configurable logic units."

[0068] Computer system (or computer) — any of the various types of computing or processing systems, including personal computer systems (PCs), mainframe computer systems, workstations, network appliances, internet-connected appliances, personal digital assistants (PDAs), television systems, grid computing systems, or other devices or combinations thereof. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0069] User equipment (UE) (or “UE device”) — any of a variety of computer system devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communications. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone). ™ Based on Android™ Telephones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS) ™ PlayStation Portable ™ Gameboy Advance ™ iPhone ™ This includes laptops, wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart glasses), PDAs, portable internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., drones), UAV controllers (UACs), etc. Generally speaking, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined as encompassing any electronic, computing, and / or telecommunications equipment (or combination of equipment) that is easily transportable by the user and capable of wireless communication.

[0070] Base station—The term “base station” has the full range of its common meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed in a fixed location and is used for communication as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0071] A processing element (or processor) is a component or combination of components capable of performing the functions of a device such as user equipment or cellular network equipment. A processing element may include, for example: a processor and associated memory, portions or circuitry of individual processor cores, an entire processor core, a processor array, circuitry such as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), programmable hardware components such as a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and any combination thereof.

[0072] A channel is a medium used to transmit information from a transmitter to a receiver. It should be noted that because the characteristics of the term "channel" can vary depending on different wireless protocols, the term "channel" as used herein can be considered to be used in a standard manner consistent with the type of device to which the term is referenced. In some standards, the channel width can be variable (e.g., depending on device capabilities, frequency band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE can support scalable channel bandwidths from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz. In contrast, WLAN channels can be 22 MHz wide, while Bluetooth channels can be 1 MHz wide. Other protocols and standards may include different definitions of channels. Furthermore, some standards may define and use multiple types of channels, such as different channels for uplink or downlink and / or different channels for different purposes such as data, control information, etc.

[0073] Frequency band—The term “frequency band” has the full range of its general meaning and includes at least a segment of spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum) in which a channel is used or reserved for the same purpose.

[0074] Wi-Fi—The term “Wi-Fi” (or WiFi) has the full range of its usual meaning and includes at least wireless communication networks or RATs that are served by and provide connectivity to the Internet through wireless LAN (WLAN) access points. Most modern Wi-Fi networks (or WLAN networks) are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard and are marketed under the name “Wi-Fi.” Wi-Fi (WLAN) networks are different from cellular networks.

[0075] 3GPP access refers to access technologies (e.g., radio access technologies) specified by 3GPP standards. These access technologies include, but are not limited to, GSM / GPRS, LTE, LTE-A, and / or 5G NR. Generally speaking, 3GPP access refers to various types of cellular access technologies.

[0076] Non-3GPP access refers to any access technology (e.g., radio access technologies) not specified by 3GPP standards. These accesses include, but are not limited to, WiMAX, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, WLAN, and / or fixed networks. Non-3GPP access can be categorized into two types: "trusted" and "untrusted." Trusted non-3GPP access can interact directly with the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and / or 5G Core (5GC), while untrusted non-3GPP access interoperates with the EPC / 5GC via network entities such as Evolved Packet Data Gateways and / or 5G NR Gateways. Generally speaking, non-3GPP access refers to various types of non-cellular access technologies.

[0077] Automatic—means an action or operation performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g., circuits, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.) without requiring direct user input to specify or perform that action or operation. Therefore, the term "automatically" is the opposite of an operation performed or specified manually by a user, where the user provides input to directly perform the operation. An automatic process can be initiated by user-provided input, but the subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user; that is, they are not performed "manually," where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out a form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing information, selecting a checkbox, radio selection, etc.) is considered manually filling out the form, even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user's actions. The form can be automatically filled out by a computer system (e.g., software executed on the computer system) which analyzes the fields of the form and fills it out without any user input specifying answers for the fields. As indicated above, the user can invoke the automatic filling of the form but does not participate in the actual filling of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify answers for the fields, but they are completed automatically). This manual provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions taken by the user.

[0078] Approximately—means a value close to the correct or precise value. For example, approximately can refer to a value within 1% to 10% of the precise (or expected) value. However, it should be noted that the actual threshold (or tolerance) can vary depending on the application. For example, in some implementations, “approximately” may mean within 0.1% of some specified or expected value, while in various other implementations, the threshold may be, for example, 2%, 3%, 5%, etc., depending on the expectations or requirements of the specific application.

[0079] Concurrency refers to the parallel execution or implementation of tasks, processes, or programs in a manner that at least partially overlaps. For example, concurrency can be achieved using “strong” or strict parallelism, where tasks are executed in parallel (at least partially) on corresponding computing elements; or using “weak parallelism,” where tasks are executed in an interleaved manner (e.g., by time multiplexing of execution threads).

[0080] Various components can be described as being "configured" to perform one or more tasks. In such contexts, "configured" is a broad expression generally meaning "having" a "structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently performing one (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect one module to another, even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured" can also be a broad expression generally meaning a structure that "has" a "circuit" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently switched on. Typically, the circuit forming the structure corresponding to "configured" can include hardware circuitry.

[0081] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase “configured to”. Statements describing a component as configured to perform one or more tasks are explicitly intended not to invoke the interpretation of 35 USC § 112(f) for that component.

[0082] Figure 1A and 1B Communication system

[0083] Figure 1A A simplified exemplary wireless communication system according to some implementation schemes is shown. It should be noted that... Figure 1A The system described herein is merely one example of a possible system, and the features of this disclosure can be implemented in any of a variety of systems as needed.

[0084] As shown in the figure, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102A, which communicates with one or more user equipments 106A, 106B to 106N via a transmission medium. Each user equipment may be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE). Therefore, user equipment 106 is referred to as a UE or UE device.

[0085] Base station (BS) 102A may be a transceiver base station (BTS) or a cell site (“cellular base station”), and may include hardware that enables wireless communication with UE 106A to UE 106N.

[0086] The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station can be referred to as a "cell". Base station 102A and UE 106 can be configured to communicate via a transmission medium using any of a variety of Radio Access Technologies (RATs), also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunications standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with air interfaces such as WCDMA or TD-SCDMA), LTE, LTE-A Advanced, 5G New Radio (5G NR), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc. Note that if base station 102A is implemented in an LTE environment, its alternative location can be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB". Note that if base station 102A is implemented in a 5G NR environment, its alternative location can be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB".

[0087] As shown in the figure, base station 102A can also be configured to communicate with network 100 (e.g., in various possibilities, the core network of a cellular service provider, telecommunications networks such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and / or the Internet). Therefore, base station 102A can facilitate communication between user equipments and / or between user equipments and network 100. Specifically, cellular base station 102A can provide UE 106 with various communication capabilities such as voice, SMS, and / or data services.

[0088] Base station 102A and other similar base stations (such as base stations 102B...102N) operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards can therefore be provided as a network of cells that can provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping services to UE 106A-N and similar devices over a geographical area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0089] Therefore, although base station 102A can act as such Figure 1A The diagram shows the "serving cell" of UEs 106A-N, but each UE 106 may also be able to receive signals (and possibly within its communication range) from one or more other cells (which may be provided by base stations 102B-N and / or any other base stations), which may be referred to as "neighboring cells". Such cells may also facilitate communication between user equipments and / or between user equipments and network 100. These cells may include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pecimen" cells, and / or any other cells of various other granularities providing service area size. For example, in Figure 1A Base stations 102A to 102B shown can be macro cells, while base station 102N can be a micro cell. Other configurations are also possible.

[0090] In some implementations, base station 102A may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station or a "gNB". In some implementations, the gNB may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, the gNB cell may include one or more transition and receive points (TRPs). Additionally, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR may connect to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0091] It should be noted that UE 106 can communicate using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, in addition to at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD, etc.), UE 106 can be configured to communicate using wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.). If desired, UE 106 can also or alternatively be configured to communicate using one or more Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcasting standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H or DVB-H), and / or any other wireless communication protocol. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0092] Figure 1B User equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A to 106N) communicating with base station 102 and access point 112 according to some embodiments is shown. UE 106 can be a device with cellular and non-cellular communication capabilities (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.), such as a mobile phone, handheld device, computer or tablet computer, or virtually any type of wireless device.

[0093] UE 106 may include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. UE 106 may execute any of the method embodiments of the present invention by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or additionally, UE 106 may include programmable hardware elements, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) configured to execute any of the method embodiments of the present invention or any portion thereof.

[0094] UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some embodiments, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using, for example, CDMA2000 (1xRTT / 1xEV-DO / HRPD / eHRPD), LTE / Advanced LTE, or 5G NR and / or GSM, LTE, Advanced LTE, or 5G NR using a single shared radio component. The shared radio component may be coupled to a single antenna or to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communication. Typically, the radio component may include any combination of baseband processor, analog radio frequency (RF) signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.) or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio component may use the aforementioned hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains. For example, UE 106 may share one or more portions of the receive chain and / or transmit chain among various wireless communication technologies such as those discussed above.

[0095] In some implementations, UE 106 may include separate transmit and / or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol configured to communicate therewith. As another possibility, UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared among multiple wireless communication protocols, as well as one or more radio components uniquely used by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, UE 106 may include shared radio components for communication using either LTE or 5G NR (or LTE or 1xRTT, or LTE or GSM), and separate radio components for communication using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.

[0096] Figure 2 Block diagram of a base station

[0097] Figure 2 An exemplary block diagram of a base station 102 according to some embodiments is shown. It should be noted that... Figure 2 The base station shown is merely one example of a possible base station. As shown, base station 102 may include a processor 204 capable of executing program instructions for base station 102. Processor 204 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 240 or other circuitry or devices, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 204 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 260 and read-only memory (ROM) 250).

[0098] Base station 102 may include at least one network port 270. Network port 270 may be configured to be coupled to a telephone network and provide access to multiple devices (such as UE device 106) as described above. Figure 1A and Figure 2 Access to the telephone network as described in the document.

[0099] Network port 270 (or an additional network port) may also be configured, or alternatively configured, to be coupled to a cellular network, such as the core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices, such as UE device 106. In some cases, network port 270 may be coupled to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0100] In some implementations, base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or "gNB". In such implementations, base station 102 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transition and receive points (TRPs). Additionally, UEs capable of operating according to 5G NR may connect to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0101] Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 234 and possibly multiple antennas. The at least one antenna 234 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE device 106 via radio component 230. Antenna 234 communicates with radio component 230 via communication link 232. Communication link 232 may be a receive link, a transmit link, or both. Radio component 230 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0102] Base station 102 can be configured to perform wireless communication using multiple wireless communication standards. In some cases, base station 102 may include multiple radios that enable base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, base station 102 may include an LTE radio component for performing communication according to LTE and a 5G NR radio component for performing communication according to 5G NR. In this case, base station 102 may be able to operate as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. As another possibility, base station 102 may include a multimode radio component capable of performing communication according to any of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).

[0103] As further described herein, BS 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting specific implementations of the features described herein. The processor 204 of base station 102 may be configured, for example, to implement or support some or all of the methods described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, processor 204 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition), in conjunction with one or more of other components 230, 232, 234, 240, 250, 260, 270, the processor 204 of BS 102 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the features described herein.

[0104] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 204 may comprise one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor 204. Therefore, processor 204 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 204. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of one or more processors 204.

[0105] Additionally, as described herein, the radio component 230 may comprise one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in the radio component 230. Therefore, the radio component 230 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the radio component 230. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the radio component 230.

[0106] Figure 3 : UE block diagram

[0107] Figure 3 An exemplary simplified block diagram of a communication device 106 according to some embodiments is shown. It should be noted that... Figure 3 The block diagram of the communication device is merely one example of possible communication devices. According to embodiments, communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, mobile device or mobile station, wireless device or wireless station, desktop computer or computing device, mobile computing device (e.g., laptop computer, notebook computer, or portable computing device), tablet computer, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), UAV controller (UAC) and / or combination of devices, and other devices. As shown, communication device 106 may include a set of components 300 configured to perform core functions. For example, this set of components may be implemented as a system-on-a-chip (SOC), which may include portions for various purposes. Alternatively, this set of components 300 may be implemented as individual components or groups of components for various purposes. This set of components 300 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to various other circuits of communication device 106.

[0108] For example, communication device 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), input / output interfaces such as connector I / F 320 (e.g., for connection to a computer system; docking station; charging station; input devices such as microphone, camera, keyboard; output devices such as speaker; etc.), a display 360 that may be integrated with or external to communication device 106, and cellular communication circuitry 330 such as for 5G NR, LTE, GSM, etc., and short- to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 (e.g., Bluetooth). ™ (and WLAN circuitry). In some embodiments, the communication device 106 may include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as, for example, a network interface card for Ethernet.

[0109] Cellular communication circuitry 330 may be coupled (e.g., communicatively grounded; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 335 and 336 shown. Short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may also be coupled (e.g., communicatively grounded; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 337 and 338 shown. Alternatively, short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may be coupled (e.g., communicatively grounded; directly or indirectly) to antennas 337 and 338, or as an alternative, to antennas 335 and 336. Short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 and / or cellular communication circuitry 330 may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) configuration.

[0110] In some embodiments, as further described below, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include dedicated receive chains for multiple RATs (including and / or coupled to (e.g., a communication ground; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components) (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G-NR). Furthermore, in some embodiments, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include a single transmit chain that can be switched between radio components dedicated to a particular RAT. For example, a first radio component may be dedicated to a first RAT, such as LTE, and may communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a transmit chain shared with additional radio components, such as a second radio component that may be dedicated to a second RAT (e.g., 5G NR) and may communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a shared transmit chain.

[0111] The communication device 106 may also include one or more user interface elements and / or be configured to be used with one or more user interface elements. User interface elements may include any of a variety of components such as a display 360 (which may be a touch screen display), a keyboard (which may be a separate keyboard or may be implemented as part of the touch screen display), a mouse, a microphone and / or a speaker, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of a variety of other components capable of providing information to the user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0112] The communication device 106 may also include one or more smart cards 345 with SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC cards (one or more general purpose integrated circuit cards) 345. It should be noted that the term "SIM" or "SIM entity" is intended to include any of various types of SIM implementations or SIM functions, such as one or more UICC cards 345, one or more eUICCs, one or more eSIMs, removable or embedded, etc. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include at least two SIMs. Each SIM may execute one or more SIM applications and / or otherwise implement SIM functionality. Thus, each SIM may be a single smart card that can be embedded, for example, soldered to a circuit board in the UE 106, or each SIM 345 may be implemented as a removable smart card. Therefore, a SIM may be one or more removable smart cards (such as UICC cards, sometimes referred to as "SIM cards"), and / or SIM 345 may be one or more embedded cards (such as embedded UICCs (eUICCs), sometimes referred to as "eSIMs" or "eSIM cards"). In some implementations (such as when the SIM includes an eUICC), one or more SIMs within the SIM can implement embedded SIM (eSIM) functionality; in such implementations, a single SIM within the SIM can execute multiple SIM applications. Each SIM may include components such as a processor and / or memory; instructions for performing SIM / eSIM functionality may be stored in memory and executed by the processor. In some implementations, UE 106 may include, as needed, a combination of removable smart cards and fixed / non-removable smart cards (such as one or more eUICC cards implementing eSIM functionality). For example, UE 106 may include two embedded SIMs, two removable SIMs, or a combination of one embedded SIM and one removable SIM. Various other SIM configurations are also envisioned.

[0113] As described above, in some implementations, UE 106 may include two or more SIMs. Including two or more SIMs in UE 106 allows UE 106 to support two different phone numbers and allows UE 106 to communicate on two or more corresponding networks. For example, the first SIM may support a first RAT such as LTE, and the second SIM 106 may support a second RAT such as 5G NR. Other implementations and RATs are also possible. In some implementations, when UE 106 includes two SIMs, UE 106 may support Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDA) functionality. DSDA functionality allows UE 106 to connect to two networks simultaneously (and use two different RATs), or allows two connections supported by two different SIMs using the same or different RATs to be maintained simultaneously on the same or different networks. DSDA functionality also allows UE 106 to receive voice calls or data traffic simultaneously on either phone number. In some implementations, voice calls may be packet-switched communications. In other words, voice calls can be received using LTE-based Voice (VoLTE) technology and / or NR-based Voice (VoNR) technology. In some implementations, UE 106 may support Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS) functionality. DSDS functionality allows either of the two SIMs in UE 106 to remain in standby while awaiting a voice call and / or data connection. In DSDS, when a call / data connection is established on one SIM, the other SIM is no longer active. In some implementations, DSDx functionality (DSDA or DSDS functionality) can be implemented using a single SIM (e.g., eUICC) that performs multiple SIM applications for different carriers and / or RATs.

[0114] As shown in the figure, the SOC 300 may include a processor 302 and a display circuit 304. The processor executes program instructions for the communication device 106, and the display circuit performs graphics processing and provides display signals to the display 360. One or more processors 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340 (which may be configured to receive addresses from one or more processors 302 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read-only memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310)) and / or coupled to other circuitry or devices (such as the display circuit 304, short-to-medium range wireless communication circuitry 329, cellular communication circuitry 330, connector I / F 320, and / or display 360). The MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, the MMU 340 may be included as part of the processor 302.

[0115] As described above, communication device 106 can be configured to communicate using wireless and / or wired communication circuitry. Communication device 106 can be configured to perform methods for dynamically configuring aperiodic sounding reference signal offsets, such that the base station can receive correctly configured SRS signals from each UE to allocate an appropriate frequency range to each UE, thereby improving transmission and reception fidelity between the base station and the UEs, as further described herein.

[0116] As described herein, communication device 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing the features described above to transmit a scheduling profile for power saving to a network. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium), processor 302 of communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or in addition), processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), in conjunction with one or more of other components 300, 304, 306, 310, 320, 329, 330, 340, 345, 350, 360, processor 302 of communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.

[0117] Furthermore, as described in this invention, processor 302 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 302 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 302. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of one or more processors 302.

[0118] Further, as described herein, the cellular communication circuit 330 and the short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuit 329 may each include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in the cellular communication circuit 330, and similarly, one or more processing elements may be included in the short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuit 329. Therefore, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 330. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 330. Similarly, the short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuit 329 may include one or more ICs configured to perform the functions of the short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuit 329. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuit 329.

[0119] Figure 4 Block diagram of cellular communication circuit

[0120] Figure 4 An exemplary simplified block diagram of a cellular communication circuit according to some embodiments is shown. It should be noted that... Figure 4 The block diagram of the cellular communication circuit is merely one example of a possible cellular communication circuit. According to the implementation, the cellular communication circuit 430 may be included in a communication device such as the communication device 106 described above. As mentioned above, among other devices, the communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop computer, notebook computer, or portable computing device), a tablet computer, and / or a combination of these devices.

[0121] Cellular communication circuit 430 may (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) be coupled to one or more antennas, such as ( Figure 4 Antennas 435a-435b and 436 are shown in the diagram. In some embodiments, the cellular communication circuitry 430 may include dedicated receive chains for various RATs (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communication ground; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components) (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G-NR). For example, as... Figure 4 As shown, the cellular communication circuit 430 may include a modem 410 and a modem 420. The modem 410 may be configured for communication according to a first RAT (such as LTE or LTE-A), and the modem 420 may be configured for communication according to a second RAT (such as 5G NR).

[0122] As shown, modem 410 may include one or more processors 412 and memory 416 communicating with processor 412. Modem 410 may communicate with radio frequency (RF) front end 480. RF front end 480 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 480 may include receiver circuitry (RX) 482 and transmitter circuitry (TX) 484. In some embodiments, receiver circuitry 482 may communicate with downlink (DL) front end 450, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 435a.

[0123] Similarly, modem 420 may include one or more processors 422 and memory 426 communicating with processor 422. Modem 420 may communicate with RF front end 490. RF front end 490 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 490 may include receiving circuitry 492 and transmitting circuitry 494. In some embodiments, receiving circuitry 492 may communicate with DL front end 460, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 435b.

[0124] In some implementations, switch 470 may couple transmission circuitry 494 to uplink (UL) front-end 472. Furthermore, switch 470 may couple transmission circuitry 494 to UL front-end 472. UL front-end 472 may include circuitry for transmitting radio signals via antenna 436. Therefore, when cellular communication circuitry 430 receives an instruction to transmit according to a first RAT (e.g., supported by modem 410), switch 470 may be switched to a first state allowing modem 410 to transmit signals according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmission chain including transmission circuitry 484 and UL front-end 472). Similarly, when cellular communication circuitry 430 receives an instruction to transmit according to a second RAT (e.g., supported by modem 420), switch 470 may be switched to a second state allowing modem 420 to transmit signals according to the second RAT (e.g., via a transmission chain including transmission circuitry 494 and UL front-end 472).

[0125] In some implementations, the cellular communication circuit 430 may be configured to perform a method for dynamically configuring an aperiodic sounding reference signal offset such that the base station can receive correctly configured SRS signals from each UE to allocate an appropriate frequency region to each UE in order to improve transmission and reception fidelity between the base station and the UE, as further described herein.

[0126] As described herein, modem 410 may include hardware and software components for implementing the features described above or for time-division multiplexing UL data for NSANR operations, as well as various other technologies described herein. For example, processor 412 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium). Alternatively (or in addition), processor 412 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), processor 412 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein by combining one or more of other components 430, 432, 434, 450, 470, 472, 435, and 436.

[0127] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 412 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 412 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 412. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 412.

[0128] As described herein, modem 420 may include hardware and software components for implementing the aforementioned features for communicating power-saving scheduling profiles to the network, as well as various other technologies described herein. For example, processor 422 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium). Alternatively (or in addition), processor 422 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), processor 422 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein by combining one or more of other components 440, 442, 444, 450, 470, 472, 435, and 436.

[0129] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 422 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 422 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 422. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 422.

[0130] Figure 5 Examples of baseband processor architectures for UEs (e.g., such as UE 106) according to some implementation schemes are shown. Figure 5The baseband processor architecture 500 described herein may be implemented on one or more radio components (e.g., radio components 329 and / or 330) or modems (e.g., modems 410 and / or 420) as described above. As shown, the non-access stratum (NAS) 510 may include a 5G NAS 520 and a traditional NAS 550. The traditional NAS 550 may include a communication connection with a traditional access stratum (AS) 570. The 5G NAS 520 may include communication connections with a 5G AS 540 and a non-3GPP AS 530, as well as a Wi-Fi AS 532. The 5G NAS 520 may include functional entities associated with both access strata. Therefore, the 5G NAS 520 may include multiple 5G MM entities 526 and 528 and 5G session management (SM) entities 522 and 524. The traditional NAS 550 may include functional entities such as Short Message Service (SMS) entity 552, Evolved Packet System (EPS) Session Management (ESM) entity 554, Session Management (SM) entity 556, EPS Mobility Management (EMM) entity 558, and Mobility Management (MM) / GPRS Mobility Management (GMM) entity 560. Furthermore, the traditional AS 570 may include functional entities such as LTE AS 572, UMTS AS 574, and / or GSM / GPRS AS 576.

[0131] Therefore, the baseband processor architecture 500 allows for a common 5G-NAS for both 5G cellular and non-cellular (e.g., non-3GPP access) networks. It's important to note that, as shown in the figure, the 5G MM can maintain separate connection management and registration management state machines for each connection. Furthermore, a device (e.g., UE 106) can register to a single PLMN (e.g., a 5G CN) using both 5G cellular and non-cellular access. Additionally, a device can be in a connected state in one access and an idle state in another, or vice versa. Finally, there may be common 5G-MM procedures (e.g., registration, deregistration, identification, authentication, etc.) for both accesses.

[0132] It should be noted that, in various implementations, one or more of the aforementioned functional entities of the 5G NAS and / or 5G AS may be configured to perform methods such as dynamically configuring aperiodic probe reference signal offsets so that the base station can receive correctly configured SRS signals from each UE to allocate an appropriate frequency region to each UE in order to improve transmission and reception fidelity between the base station and the UE, as further described herein.

[0133] Dynamic non-periodic probe reference signal trigger offset

[0134] In current cellular communication systems, UEs can be configured to periodically, semi-persistently, or aperiodically transmit sounding reference signals (SRS) to the base station on the uplink channel. These SRS signals are used by the base station to assess the uplink channel quality between the UE and the base station. More specifically, in LTE systems, the base station typically allocates only a portion of the total system bandwidth to a specific UE at any given time. The base station can use the received SRS signals to determine which portion of the overall system bandwidth has the best relative uplink channel quality. In other words, the base station can use the SRS signals received from each UE to allocate an "optimal" frequency region to each of the UEs based on the uplink channel quality determined from the SRS signals.

[0135] UEs may transmit SRS signals for various purposes or use cases, including antenna switching, beam management, codebook and non-codebook-based purposes, and carrier switching. Antenna switching refers to the process in which a UE may cyclically transmit SRS signals on each of its multiple antennas so that the base station can assess downlink channel quality via uplink channel quality estimation for each antenna. UEs may also transmit SRS for beam management purposes, such as to allow the base station to assess optimal beam orientation for improved uplink channel quality. Assuming that the uplink and downlink channels are similar (e.g., in the case of TDD), non-codebook-based use cases refer to the base station using the received SRS to assess the downlink channel and help select a codebook for downlink communication. The term "carrier switching" refers to a situation where one or more UEs may switch to using different component carriers or different bandwidth portions while communicating with a base station.

[0136] As described above, the UE can be configured to transmit SRS signals at predefined intervals (i.e., according to a set period). However, the base station can also make specific aperiodic requests to the UE to transmit SRS signals. The base station's request for aperiodic SRS can take the form of an SRS trigger item transmitted from the base station to the UE. The base station may decide to send an aperiodic SRS trigger item to the UE due to detected uplink channel quality degradation or other reasons.

[0137] The UE can receive aperiodic SRS triggers and subsequently transmit SRS signals to the base station. The UE can use a trigger offset to determine or calculate when to transmit the SRS signal. The UE can apply the trigger offset, which is a time offset, to the time at which it receives aperiodic SRS triggers to determine the transmission time of the SRS signal.

[0138] In current implementations, the SRS trigger offset is statically determined by the base station and provided to the UE during RRC configuration. However, in some instances, conflicts with downlink symbol and minimum timing offset requirements may exist during SRS communication between the BS and UE. These conflicts caused by invalid timeslot offsets can lead to inefficiencies or failures associated with invalid or incomplete transmissions between the base station and UE. Therefore, improvements in this art are desired.

[0139] Figure 6 –Flowchart– Configure the base station angle for AP-SRS trigger offset

[0140] Figure 6 An exemplary flowchart is shown for dynamically configuring AP-SRS trigger offset from the base station's perspective according to some implementation schemes.

[0141] As shown in step 602, the base station (BS) establishes Radio Resource Control (RRC) with the user equipment (UE). This RRC protocol is capable of performing several different functions regarding signaling between the BS and the UE. For example, the RRC can facilitate the broadcasting of system information related to the characteristics of the radio interface. The RRC protocol can also perform measurement reporting, whereby the BS entity can periodically or on demand (e.g., aperiodically) trigger measurements performed by the UE. Additionally, the RRC protocol facilitates the transport of NAS messages exchanged between the UE and the MME entity.

[0142] In step 604, either as part of the RRC configuration or as a separate action, the base station may receive various capability information transmitted from the UE. This capability information may include the minimum timing offset of the SRS. Figure 10 As shown, this minimum timing offset can correspond to the number of symbols between the last symbol that triggers the DCI and the first symbol that corresponds to the triggered AP-SRS transmission. Since the UE needs a certain amount of time to decode the DCI before transmitting the AP-SRS signal in response to this minimum timing offset, the UE has an expectation or need for transmitting this minimum timing offset. More specifically, because different UEs may have different processing capabilities—for example, a UE from one manufacturer may have a faster processor than a UE from another manufacturer—different UEs may have different minimum timing requirements in processing the SRS triggers in the received DCI and transmitting the requested SRS. Therefore, due to the different processing time requirements for receiving and implementing the DCI, different UEs may have different minimum timing offsets.

[0143] Furthermore, due to this minimum timing offset, in most cases, SRS is typically transmitted in the last six symbols of the time slot, such as... Figure 9As shown. This is the case where the DCI is transmitted in the first three symbols of the first time slot and the AP-SRS is transmitted in the first available symbol of the last six symbols of the second time slot, which corresponds to a gap of approximately 19 symbols. This time slot interval or gap allows the UE the time required to decode the DCI.

[0144] In some implementations, the UE may simply report whether it requires a minimum 19-symbol timing offset. In other implementations, the UE may report the minimum timing offset based on a list of pre-stored or preset values ​​(7, 14, 19, etc.) corresponding to the number of symbols. In some implementations, if the UE does not report the minimum timing offset, the BS assumes a minimum timing requirement hard-coded in its specification. In other implementations, for the frequency range between 60 kHz and 120 kHz, the minimum timing offset reported by the UE may be based on beam-switching timing parameters. In other implementations, new minimum timing offset-related capabilities may be reported by the UE for 15 kHz SCS and 30 kHz SCS. In other implementations, new minimum timing offsets are reported by frequency band to include both licensed and unlicensed bands.

[0145] In some implementations, PDCCH monitoring and PUSCH processing capabilities can be replicated from previous 3GPP versions to address backward compatibility issues. More specifically, when the UE is configured to report the minimum timing offset of AP-SRS, the UE can also report a copy or replica of PUSCH-ProcessingType2 as PUSCH-ProcessingType2-r16. More specifically, the following excerpt from Technical Specification 38.331 provides further insight into how the UE can report separate PUSCH processing capabilities #2: one for Rel-15 NW and one for Rel-16 NW, for backward compatibility.

[0146] Excerpt from Technical Specification 38.331 - PUSCH - Processing Type 2:

[0147] <Unchanging parts have been omitted>

[0148] FeatureSetUplink-v1540 ::= SEQUENCE {

[0149] zeroSlotOffsetAperiodicSRS ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL,

[0150] pa-PhaseDiscontinuityImpacts ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL,

[0151] pusch-SeparationWithGap ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL,

[0152] pusch-ProcessingType2 SEQUENCE {

[0153] scs-15kHzProcessingParameters OPTIONAL,

[0154] scs-30kHzProcessingParameters OPTIONAL,

[0155] scs-60kHzProcessingParameters OPTIONAL

[0156] } OPTIONAL,

[0157] ul-MCS-TableAlt-DynamicIndication ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL

[0158] }

[0159] FeatureSetUplink-v1610 ::= SEQUENCE {

[0160] pusch-ProcessingType2-r16 SEQUENCE {

[0161] scs-15kHz-r16ProcessingParameters OPTIONAL,

[0162] scs-30kHz-r16ProcessingParameters OPTIONAL,

[0163] scs-60kHz-r16ProcessingParameters OPTIONAL

[0164] } OPTIONAL,

[0165] }

[0166] <The unchanged part has been omitted>

[0167] Furthermore, the PUSCH-ProcessingType2 detailed in the above technical specification excerpt indicates UE support for PUSCH processing capability #2 in Rel-15 NR networks, while PUSCH-ProcessingType2-r16 indicates UE support for PUSCH processing capability #2 in Rel-16 NR networks, which may differ from Rel-15 NR networks. In the current NR specification, the minimum timing offset of the aperiodic tracking reference signal (AP-TRS) is defined based on PUSCH processing capability. Moreover, PUSCH processing capability #2 is a Rel-15 NR UE feature. The new capability introduced for the minimum timing offset separates AP-TRS processing from PUSCH processing timing. Therefore, in Rel-16 networks (NWs) where the new AP-TRS minimum timing offset related capability is understood, a UE may support PUSCH processing capability #2, but may not support shorter AP-TRS processing times, such as < 19 symbols. However, Rel-15 NW cannot understand the new AP-TRS minimum timing offset capabilities, and the NW will not provide a version of the minimum timing offset in the NR network. Therefore, in Rel-15 NW, the UE cannot support PUSCH processing capability #2 in the example above. Therefore, the UE can report separate PUSCH processing capabilities #2: one for Rel-15 NW and one for Rel-16 NW, for backward compatibility. In other implementations, for AP-SRS, a slot offset is preferably configured, and if the AP-SRS slot offset is not configured, it is assumed to be a single slot.

[0168] This capability information from the UE (such as minimum timing offset information) can be used by the base station to determine the appropriate trigger offset configuration (or offset value) and provide it to the UE so that the UE can transmit AP-SRS at the correct time. In other words, in 606, the base station can receive the minimum timing offset provided by the UE and use the minimum timing offset to determine the appropriate SRS offset value (SRS trigger offset configuration) to provide to the UE.

[0169] As used herein, the term “trigger offset configuration” or “AP-SRS trigger offset configuration” may include offset values ​​and may include other relevant trigger offset information, such as the usage period or validity period of the offset, and other possible information.

[0170] In step 606, the BS determines the UE's aperiodic probe reference signal (AP-SRS) trigger offset configuration. As described above, the BS uses the capability information provided by the UE in step 604 (which may include minimum timing offset information corresponding to the UE) to determine the appropriate AP-SRS trigger offset configuration for the UE. If the UE's capability information does indeed contain minimum timing offset information, the BS will accordingly provide the UE with a trigger offset configuration that meets or exceeds the minimum timing offset requirement. As discussed above, in some embodiments, if the UE does not report a minimum timing offset, the BS may assume and use a predetermined minimum timing offset value based on a hard-coded value according to its specifications. The base station then transmits the determined AP-SRS trigger offset to the UE, and the UE receives the AP-SRS trigger offset configuration.

[0171] Next, in step 608, the BS can later determine whether the SRS trigger offset should be adjusted based on transmission conflicts. Therefore, during or after the RRC configuration where the UE has received the initial trigger offset, later during ongoing communication with the UE, the BS can decide whether it should send a new or updated trigger offset value to the UE. Due to the base station's inherent knowledge of the timing of its communication with the UE, the BS is able to determine whether any transmission or reception problems have occurred or may occur. In other words, because the BS is fully aware of the symbols exchanged between the BS and the UE in the UL and DL channels and their corresponding timings, the BS is able to determine any conflicts that may arise due to overlapping or conflicting symbols in the transmission. For example, if the BS determines that the AP-SRS slot offset is invalid, such as UE transmissions based on the current slot offset would result in a conflict or overlap with DL symbols, the BS will determine that the SRS trigger offset needs to be adjusted to avoid this conflict or overlap. Similarly, if the slot offset is invalid because it does not meet the UE's minimum timing offset requirements, the BS will determine that the SRS trigger offset should be adjusted to meet the minimum timing requirements.

[0172] Therefore, the BS proceeds to step 610, in which the BS determines a new SRS trigger offset value and transmits signaling to the UE specifying the new value of the AP-SRS trigger offset. For example, if the BS determines that the current or previous trigger offset value would cause a conflict, the BS determines or selects a new trigger offset value in 610 that does not cause such a conflict. The UE then processes the signaling from the BS and makes the necessary configuration changes to apply (e.g., store and utilize later) the new AP-SRS trigger offset value. When the UE subsequently receives a trigger for an aperiodic SRS from the base station, it will use the new AP-SRS trigger offset provided from the base station to calculate when to send the SRS. In some implementations, the BS may transmit signaling designed to update the SRS trigger offset in each of a plurality of UEs.

[0173] In some implementations, the new or updated SRS value may have a preset usage period. For example, the updated SRS value may be designed to be used by the UE once or a preset number of times, and then the UE may revert to a previous offset value, such as an offset value provided during or after RRC configuration. Alternatively, in 610, the BS may also include time information specifying the amount of time during which the new SRS offset value is valid or the number of future SRS transmissions, after which the UE reverts to the previous or initial offset value.

[0174] Finally, in step 612, the BS transmits signaling to the UE to trigger an aperiodic SRS. For example, to confirm that the BS has provided the UE with an appropriate AP-SRS trigger offset value, the BS may trigger an AP-SRS event after transmitting the trigger offset value. In other embodiments, the BS may trigger AP-SRS due to a degradation signal between the BS and the UE.

[0175] The base station can then use the AP-SRS transmitted from the UE to determine or estimate the channel quality. The information provided by the estimation is then used to schedule high-quality uplink transmissions on resource blocks. Furthermore, because the UE utilizes the newly provided and adjusted trigger offset values, the UE and BS are able to communicate more efficiently by avoiding unnecessary conflicts with DL symbols and / or invalid time slot offset values ​​due to the UE's minimum timing offset requirements. In doing so, the UE and BS can avoid erroneous or even duplicate transmissions, which directly improves efficiency by reducing latency and bandwidth usage.

[0176] Figure 7 -Flowchart- User Equipment Angle Triggered by AP-SRS Offset

[0177] Figure 7 An exemplary flowchart is shown, illustrating how to dynamically utilize AP-SRS to trigger offsets from the user equipment perspective, according to some implementation schemes.

[0178] As shown in step 702, the user equipment (UE) establishes radio resource control (RRC) with the base station (BS). (The above is about...) Figure 6 As discussed, the RRC protocol is capable of performing several different functions regarding signaling between the BS and the UE.

[0179] In step 704, either as part of the RRC configuration or as a separate action, the user equipment may transmit various capability information to the base station. This capability information may include the minimum timing offset of the SRS. (As mentioned above regarding...) Figure 6As discussed, this minimum timing offset can be reported according to several different implementations described above. In 706, the base station may receive the minimum timing offset provided by the UE and use the minimum timing offset to determine an appropriate SRS offset value (SRS trigger offset configuration) to provide to the UE.

[0180] In step 706, the UE receives the initial aperiodic probe reference signal (AP-SRS) trigger offset configuration from the BS. As described above, the BS uses the capability information provided by the UE in step 704 (which may include minimum timing offset information corresponding to the UE) to determine the appropriate AP-SRS trigger offset configuration for the UE.

[0181] Next, in step 708, the UE may experience a transmission conflict, which allows the BS to determine that the SRS trigger offset should be adjusted. (See above regarding...) Figure 6 As discussed, during or after the UE has received the initial trigger offset RRC configuration, the BS may later determine, during ongoing communication with the UE, that it should send a new or updated trigger offset value to the UE. For example, if the BS determines that the AP-SRS slot offset is invalid, such as because UE transmission based on the current slot offset would cause a conflict or overlap with a DL symbol, the BS will determine that the SRS trigger offset needs to be adjusted to avoid this conflict or overlap. Similarly, if the slot offset is invalid because it does not meet the UE's minimum timing offset requirements, the BS will determine that the SRS trigger offset should be adjusted to meet the minimum timing requirements.

[0182] Therefore, the UE proceeds to step 710, in which the UE receives a new SRS trigger offset value from the BS. (As mentioned above...) Figure 6 As discussed, the UE will then process the signaling from the BS and make the necessary configuration changes to apply (e.g., store and utilize later) the new AP-SRS trigger offset value. When the UE subsequently receives a trigger for aperiodic SRS from the base station, it will use the new AP-SRS trigger offset provided by the base station to calculate when to send SRS.

[0183] Next, in step 712, the UE receives triggering signaling from the base station to transmit aperiodic SRS.

[0184] Finally, in step 714, in response to the trigger received in 712, the UE transmits a new aperiodic SRS based on the new trigger offset value received by the UE in 710. In other words, in response to the trigger transmitted by the BS in 712, the UE uses the new trigger offset value to determine or calculate when to transmit an SRS in response to the received trigger signal.

[0185] The base station can then use the AP-SRS transmitted from the UE to determine or estimate the channel quality. The information provided by the estimation is then used to schedule high-quality uplink transmissions on resource blocks. Furthermore, because the UE utilizes the newly provided and adjusted trigger offset values, the UE and BS are able to communicate more efficiently by avoiding unnecessary conflicts with DL symbols and / or invalid time slot offset values ​​due to the UE's minimum timing offset requirements. In doing so, the UE and BS can avoid erroneous or even duplicate transmissions, which directly improves efficiency by reducing latency and bandwidth usage.

[0186] Figure 8 – MAC CE containing the new trigger offset value

[0187] Figure 8 An example of a Media Access Center (MAC) Control Element (CE) subheader according to some implementations is shown, which is used by the base station to transmit an updated trigger offset value to the UE. Figure 8 Examples of corresponding fields for the MAC-CE, labeled R (Reserved bit), BWP ID (Bandwidth Part ID), Serving Cell ID, SUL (Supplemental Uplink), Aperiodic (AP)-Probe Reference Signal (SRS) Trigger State, and Slot Offset, are also shown. In some implementations, the MAC-CE can be used to provide the UE with a trigger slot offset value. Specifically, the BS can use the MAC-CE to configure one or more trigger states. Furthermore, using the MAC-CE to provide the UE with the trigger slot offset value allows for faster slot offset updates.

[0188] In other implementations, MAC-CE can be used to update the same slot offset to the same AP-SRS trigger state across multiple bandwidth portions (BWPs) or component carriers (CCs). In other words, when a CC in a group is indicated in a MAC-CE and has been provided with a new trigger offset value, other CCs in the same group will also receive the same trigger offset value. In doing so, overhead (e.g., regarding bandwidth and latency) is reduced by not having to send the same number of transmissions to the same or multiple devices. In some implementations, the received MAC-CE will be valid until the next MAC-CE is received. However, in other implementations, the MAC-CE may have a hard-coded duration during which the MAC-CE update is applied until said duration has elapsed. In other implementations, the duration can be configured in the RRC.

[0189] Figure 9 -Exemplary time slot offset

[0190] Figure 9An example of slot offset between downlink control information (DCI) and aperiodic (AP) probe reference signal (SRS) is shown according to some implementation schemes. Figure 9 An example is also shown where a minimum slot offset of 1 provides at least 19 symbols for the UE between the DCI and SRS. This is because the DCI occupies the first three symbols of the first slot, and the SRS occupies the first available symbol of the last six of the second slot. Figure 9 Another example is shown where the SRS can be transmitted in the last six symbols of a time slot. As discussed above, this time slot interval or gap allows the UE the time required to decode the DCI and then transmit the requested AP-SRS. Furthermore, due to the varying processing capabilities of different UEs, some UEs may require fewer than 19 symbols as the minimum timing offset.

[0191] Figure 10 -Exemplary Minimum Timing Offset Capability Report

[0192] Figure 10 An example of a minimum timing offset for UE capability reporting for AP-SRS is shown according to some implementation schemes. This example of a minimum timing offset is defined as the number of symbols between the last symbol that triggers the DCI and the first symbol that correspondingly triggers AP-SRS transmission. As discussed above, this minimum timing offset arises because the UE needs a certain amount of time to decode the DCI before transmitting the AP-SRS signal, and this minimum timing offset can vary with the UE based on processing capabilities. In some implementations, the UE is not required to transmit SRS when the timing offset configured by the base station is less than the minimum timing offset reported in the UE's capability information. In other implementations, when the timing offset configured by the base station is less than the minimum timing offset reported in the UE's capability information, the UE transmits SRS in the next available and valid time slot that satisfies the UE's reported minimum timing offset capability.

[0193] Figure 11 -Time Slot Binding

[0194] Figure 11Examples of UE configuration for SRS repeating or slot bonding according to some implementation schemes are shown. When the UE is configured in this way, multiple AP-SRS transmissions are performed consecutively after a single trigger signal from the base station. Specifically, the SRS resource set may contain multiple SRS resources, and each SRS resource may contain multiple ports. For example, when using digital precoding, the UE can probe (i.e., channel probe) all physical antennas / beams in a single SRS resource. In another scenario, such as analog beamforming, the UE is configured to probe each antenna or beam sequentially. In other words, slot bonding or SRS repeating can be performed at the SRS resource set level or the SRS resource level. Furthermore, for example, when the UE experiences degraded signal quality due to poor coverage in the high-frequency band, the UE may attempt to bond multiple AP-SRS transmissions to provide increased processing gain or power to the base station. Figure 11 The diagram illustrates that due to the continuous transmission of AP-SRS and the minimum timing offset, some symbols in the symbol set meet the minimum timing offset requirement (the last two AP-SRS transmissions on the right), while some symbols do not (the first two AP-SRS transmissions on the left). Therefore, in some embodiments, the UE may have the option to not transmit any SRS symbols when the minimum timing offset requirement is not met. In other embodiments, the UE may have the option to transmit only the SRS symbols that meet its minimum timing offset requirement.

[0195] Figure 12 -Offset value selection

[0196] Figure 12 Examples are shown of how a base station, according to some implementation schemes, can allow the DCI to change the slot offset in one or more steps. In other words, Figure 12 A more refined method is shown, whereby the base station can provide an initial set of possible offsets, and then further select offsets from this initial list. Specifically, Figure 12 The diagram illustrates, for example, during or after RRC configuration, that the base station provides a list of N possible time slot offsets in the AP SRS-ResourceSet. Then, later during communication with the UE, the base station may transmit a MAC-CE that activates up to M possible time slot offsets from the N possible time slot offsets configured by RRC. After this, the base station may then send a DCI indicating one of the M possible time slot offsets activated by the MAC-CE. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the DCI can be... A new slot offset field is introduced into the UE. In other implementations, the BS may dynamically allow the DCI to introduce the new slot offset field to change the slot offset for each AP-SRS resource set. Furthermore, according to this implementation, if the new slot offset field does not exist, the UE will then proceed according to the behavior configured in the previous RRC.

[0197] Figure 13 - SRS transmission in the next available time slot

[0198] Figure 13 An example of a flexible AP-SRS trigger offset according to some implementation schemes is shown. Specifically, Figure 13 An example is shown where the time slot offset of the UE's attempted AP-SRS transmission conflicts with the DL symbol, thus preventing the UE from transmitting AP-SRS. In this situation, the UE then attempts to transmit AP-SRS in the next available valid time slot. Furthermore, as mentioned above regarding... Figure 6 As discussed, since the base station knows the symbols exchanged between the BS and UE in the UL and DL channels and their corresponding timings, the BS is able to predict or determine any future collisions that will arise due to overlapping or conflicting transmitted symbols. Therefore, the BS will be aware of the collision and will expect to transmit AP-SRS in the next available time slot.

[0199] Figure 14 - Partial elimination

[0200] Figure 14 Examples of partial cancellation of transmissions from a UE are shown according to some implementation schemes. The partial cancellation capability of the UE is determined based on reports detailing duplex direction conflicts from Dynamic Slot Format Indication (SFI) or Dynamic Downlink Licensing. Additionally, in some implementations, reports may be detailed by frequency band, by UEs differentiated by FR1 (frequency 1) / FR2 (frequency 2), by UEs differentiated by TDD (Time Division Duplex) / FDD (Frequency Division Duplex), or by UEs differentiated by licensed / unlicensed status. Furthermore, in other implementations, the reporting quantity may be a single value indicating "supported" or "not supported." In some implementations, the report includes a bitmap to indicate support / non-support for each channel signal (PUCCH, PUSCH, PRACH, SRS). Specifically, Figure 14 An example of partial elimination is shown, where the first PUSCH transmission symbol was successfully transmitted, but when a collision occurs, such as with... Figure 14When a downlink (DL) symbol collision occurs, the remaining PUSCH symbols are not transmitted due to partial elimination. Additionally, in some implementations, the UE is not expected to recalculate transport blocks (TBs) for PUSCH transmission and / or rate matching, among other parameters. In other implementations, certain dynamic SFI capabilities are copied from previous 3GPP versions to accommodate previous elimination capabilities and address non-backward compatibility (NBC) issues. In other words, if the UE does not support partial elimination, the BS will accordingly continue with the appropriate elimination capabilities from the previous version.

[0201] As is widely recognized, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are generally accepted to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

[0202] Embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, some embodiments may be implemented as computer-implemented methods, computer-readable storage media, or computer systems. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0203] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be configured to store program instructions and / or data, wherein, if executed by a computer system, the program instructions cause the computer system to perform a method, such as any method embodiment of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of method embodiments described herein, or any subset or combination of any such subset of any method embodiments described herein.

[0204] In some implementations, the device (e.g., UE 106) may be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, and the processor is configured to read from and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method implementations described herein (or any combination of method implementations described herein, or any subset of any method implementations described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of a variety of forms.

[0205] By interpreting each message / signal X received by the user equipment (UE) in the downlink as a message / signal X transmitted by the base station, and interpreting each message / signal Y transmitted by the UE in the uplink as a message / signal Y received by the base station, any method described herein for operating the UE can serve as the basis for a corresponding method for operating the base station.

[0206] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the disclosure is fully understood. This disclosure is intended to render the following claims as encompassing all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: The initial set of aperiodic SRS (AP-SRS) trigger slot offset values ​​for the sounding reference signal (SRS) resource set is received from the base station (BS) via radio resource control (RRC) signaling. The BS receives a downlink control information (DCI) message that triggers AP-SRS transmission and indicates a value from an initial set of AP-SRS trigger slot offset values. as well as Based on the DCI message and in an available time slot, the AP-SRS transmission is sent to the BS, wherein the available time slot is based on at least one of the following: a value from an initial set of AP-SRS trigger offset values, and the capability associated with the minimum timing offset between the triggering of AP-SRS and the AP-SRS transmission.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the available time slot is further based on a conflict with a downlink symbol in one or more time slots, the conflict causing a conflict that prevents the AP-SRS transmission on the one or more time slots.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Send a message to the BS including capability information associated with the minimum timing offset, wherein the minimum timing offset corresponds to the number of symbols between the triggering of the AP-SRS and the transmission of the AP-SRS.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the capability information includes an indication of whether a minimum 19-symbol timing offset is required between the triggering of the AP-SRS and the AP-SRS transmission.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the value from the initial set of the AP-SRS trigger slot offset values ​​is applicable to multiple component carriers (CC) or bandwidth portions (BWP) of the user equipment (UE).

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: SRS repeat or time slot binding is performed, in which multiple AP-SRS transmissions are performed continuously in response to one or more trigger signals from the BS.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the AP-SRS transmission includes SRS repeating or time slot binding.

8. A method for wireless communication, comprising: Determine the aperiodic probe reference signal (SRS) trigger offset for user equipment (UE), wherein the AP-SRS trigger offset is based on the minimum timing offset received from the UE and specifies the timing offset between the AP-SRS trigger received by the UE in a downlink control information (DCI) message and the SRS transmission performed by the UE in response to the AP-SRS trigger. An initial set of AP-SRS trigger offset values ​​for the SRS resource set is sent to the UE via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling; as well as The DCI message is sent to the UE, the DCI message specifying an offset value from the initial set of AP-SRS trigger offset values.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: In the Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE), a signaling message specifying a new value for the AP-SRS trigger offset is sent to the UE.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising: The UE receives an indication of whether the UE requires a minimum 19-symbol timing offset.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the signaling specifies a new value for the AP-SRS trigger offset for a plurality of component carriers or bandwidth portions of the UE.

12. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: The adjustment of the SRS trigger offset is determined at least in part based on the fact that the previously requested AP-SRS was not sent.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising: The adjustment of the SRS trigger offset is determined at least in part based on the determination that the AP-SRS transmission conflicts with or will conflict with one or more downlink (DL) symbols.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the AP-SRS transmission includes SRS repeating or time slot binding.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein in SRS repetition or slot binding, multiple AP-SRS transmissions are performed continuously in response to one or more trigger signals from the BS.

16. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: A processor configured to perform the operation of any one of claims 1 to 7 when executing instructions stored in memory.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising: A radio component that is operatively coupled to the processor.

18. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: A processor configured to perform the operation of the method according to any one of claims 8 to 15 when executing instructions stored in memory.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions, said program instructions being executable by one or more processors to cause a base station (BS) to perform the method according to any one of claims 8 to 15.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions that can be executed by one or more processors to cause a user equipment (UE) to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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